Spinal lesion level in spina bifida: a source of neural and cognitive heterogeneity.

Object: The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the level of a spinal lesion is associated with variations in anomalous brain development and neurobehavioral outcomes in children suffering from the meningomyelocele form of spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBM-H).

Methods: Two hundred sixty-eight children with SBM-H were divided into upper (T-12 and above; 82 patients) and lower (L-1 and below; 186 patients) lesion-level groups. Magnetic resonance images were qualitatively coded by radiologists and quantitatively segmented for cerebrum and cerebellum volumes.